Marc Stift

I am an evolutionary biologist, currently working as Postdoctoral Fellow at CIBIO, a research institute linked to the University of Porto. My project involves the role of introgression in the evolution of tetraploid bread wheat relatives (i.e., Aegilops species). Previously, I have worked at the University of Amsterdam and the University of Glasgow. My work has centered around mating system evolution (loss of self-incompatibility in Arabidopsis lyrata) and polyploidy (among others on the genus Rorippa).

2010-present
Postdoctoral Fellow, CIBIO, Plant Evolution group (PI: Harald Meimberg)
Recently, I won an FCT fellowship to work with Harald on the role of introgression between polyploids on the evolution of wild relatives of hexaploid bread wheat. This work will give me an opportunity to explore polyploid evolution on the other end of the spectrum, as polyploid wheats are allopolyploids (whereas my previous work has focused on autopolyploids). Alongside, I continue my work on polyploid evolution in general.

2007-2010
Postdoctoral Research Assistant, University of Glasgow, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (DEEB), PI: Barbara Mable
During my postdoctoral research I worked on mating system evolution in diploid Arabidopsis lyrata. In particular, I have been involved in a study of the demographic context of the loss of self-incompatibility, its causes and population genetic consequences. Thanks to our shared interests in polyploidy with Barbara I have also been able to develop my own research line involving polyploid evolution.

2002-2007
Ph.D. University of Amsterdam, laboratory of Peter van Tienderen
During my PhD I have become intrigued by hybridisation and polyploidisation and their implications for ecology and evolution. The model system was Rorippa (yellowcress), a genus that has diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid representatives, and was centered around the tetraploids of two different species that hybridise under natural conditions. My work was largely experimental, but also involved developing of a model to analyse inheritance in tetraploids. Although driven by an interest in autotetraploid evolution in general, my work has implications for plant breeding as well: most crops are actually polyploids.